Pink Dot ad: Cathay says it believes in all-inclusive society

At least one person has threatened to make a police report, but Cathay Organisation is standing by an advertisement at Cathay Cineleisure mall promoting the upcoming Pink Dot event.

The ad – which went up on an escalator at the mall on May 31 – drew complaints from people in the “We are against Pinkdot in Singapore” Facebook group, who are opposed to the annual rally held in support of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. The Facebook group has more than 6,000 members.

“As an entertainment company, we have always believed in an all-inclusive society where there is a place for everyone to call home,” a spokesperson for Cathay told Channel NewsAsia. “This is and has always been in line with our mission of bringing people together. We hope to inspire people to embrace the values of equality where one can live and love freely.”

In 2015, Cathay applied for permission to screen a Pink Dot 2015 promotional trailer in its cinemas. The application was however rejected by the then-Media Development Authority.

This year’s Pink Dot rally at Hong Lim Park will be held on Jul 1. Organisers have said there will be barricades installed around the perimeter of the event with entry checkpoints manned by security personnel, in order to comply with recent changes to the Public Order Act that block foreigners from promoting political causes in Singapore.

Only Singaporeans and permanent residents will be allowed to attend and those participating in the event are required to show their pink or blue identity cards to prove their status.